If the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t elect to keep all four of their quarterbacks, a new trade destination emerged Sunday in the Detroit Lions. But for now, the Lions are turning to a former Steelers quarterback in free agency — Josh Dobbs.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported the Lions signed Dobbs to a 1-year, $1.425 million contract. In the contract, $475,000 is fully guaranteed.
“It’s a significant commitment to Dobbs as the No. 2 quarterback after Teddy Bridgewater’s retirement,” wrote Garafolo on X.
Detroit head coach Dan Campbell announced to reporters in a press conference Sunday that Teddy Bridgewater was retiring. Bridgewater was set to return to the Lions this fall as their primary backup quarterback.
Dobbs has been the ultimate journeyman signal-caller over the past decade. He began his career with the Steelers as a fourth-round pick in 2017. Dobbs made his NFL debut for Pittsburgh the following season.
Dobbs never started a game over two stints with the Steelers. In six games overall, he completed 10 of 17 passes for 45 yards across six contests.
Former Steelers QB Josh Dobbs Signs With Lions: Report
GettyNFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Josh Dobbs signed with the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Detroit acted very quickly to add quarterback depth behind Jared Goff on Sunday. Dobbs is the ideal fit.
The 31-year-old will bring plenty of experience to what the Lions hope will be a playoff contender this fall. Dobbs also previously played for Campbell and the Lions in 2022. The quarterback didn’t appear in a regular season game for Detroit, but he was on the team’s practice squad.
Dobbs has played for a lot of teams over the past 10 years. The Steelers traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2019 campaign. After one year in Jacksonville, he returned to be Pittsburgh’s QB3 in for 2020 and 2021.
Since the start of the 2022 campaign, Dobbs has averaged almost two different teams per season. He’s appeared in games for the Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots.
Dobbs notably led the Vikings to a 2-2 record in place of an injured Kirk Cousins during 2023. But Minnesota benched Dobbs during his final start and then moved him into the backup role the following week.
Dobbs owns a 3-12 record as a starter in his NFL career. He has completed 62.8% of his passes and averaged six yards per pass. He has also thrown 17 touchdowns versus 15 interceptions.
Could Steelers Become Trade Partner With Lions?
GettyCould the Steelers trade one of their four quarterbacks to the Detroit Lions?
There’s still three weeks to go until NFL roster cutdown day. But some pundits were already wondering if the Steelers and Lions could become trade partners at quarterback by the end of the month.
The Steelers have four quality quarterbacks. Teams don’t typically have that many on their active roster during the regular season. Before signing Dobbs, the Lions only had two.
On paper, that makes the two teams a match to make a trade.
The problem, though, is both teams would probably want Mason Rudolph as QB2. Both the Steelers and Lions have hopes of going on a deep playoff run this winter. To do that, each franchise will want the most experienced backup behind center possible.
Rudolph is the only experienced option for the Steelers besides Aaron Rodgers. Pittsburgh’s other quarterbacks — Will Howard and Drew Allar — have never played in the regular season.
If the Steelers decide to keep Howard and Allar instead of Rudolph, then the conversation is different. But that seems unlikely. Head coach Mike McCarthy has raved about Rudolph throughout the summer, and he appears likely to be the team’s QB2.
Things can drastically change over the next three weeks. But right now, the Lions are moving forward with Dobbs.
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